It was understandable that basketball players were not spared from blunders throughout their NBA careers. Superstars like James Worthy experienced that in the 1984 Finals, a careless pass that cost the Los Angeles Lakers a Game 2 victory.
Big Game James admitted that it was an experience that haunted him for years. It took him a while to overcome that blunder, but he eventually did.
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“It’s hard to get over something like that when you’re as young as I was,” Worthy said in 1987 via the Washington Post. “I felt terrible for a very long time.”
To recall what happened, the Lakers appeared ready to take home the win and go up 2-0 over the Boston Celtics. That was until the North Carolina product made a careless pass to Byron Scott that got intercepted by Gerald Henderson.
Henderson converted that turnover into a basket, allowing the Celtics to tie the game and send it to overtime. Boston went on to win that game, 124-121, and tie the series. To make things worse, the Bean Town squad went on to win the title in seven games.
Worthy matured from that 1984 blunder
It was a forgettable experience for the top pick of the 1982 Draft. However, it was also a learning curve for him to get better and tougher, which James showed in the following years.
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Worthy got his break after starting the 1984-85 season as a reserve. Lakers coach Pat Riley was looking for the right mix, and Big Game James eventually got the nod. With renewed confidence, the 6-foot-9 forward upped his production and established himself as a clutch performer from that point on.
Worthy got better as the years progressed. In the 1986-87 season, Worthy became a regular starter and was the third-best player on the team behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
With that big three, the Lakers would again make the NBA finals and face the Celtics. But this time, the Cs had their work cut out for them, trying to figure out who they had to stop among KAJ, Magic, and Worthy.
James had the toughest assignment of them all. Aside from being expected to score, he was assigned to put the clamps on Larry Bird. Although the Celtics star could still get his numbers, Worthy ensured he would keep in step with the Indiana State product.
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“I don’t think there’s anyone who can stop {Worthy},” said Bird after dropping Game 1 of the 1987 Finals. “We’re just hoping to contain him the rest of the way.”
Worthy ruffled Bird
Even though he still got away with decent numbers, Bird admitted that his matchup with Worthy bothered him. Admitting that James was faster and athletic, Larry struggled to keep up with the Lakers forward.
“We were worrying about Kareem and James came out and beat us,” Bird rued in the end.
When the smoke cleared, the Lakers once again defeated the Celtics, proving that they were the superior team in the 1980s. Kareem and Magic were credited with that run, although Worthy also deserved recognition.
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After that 1984 debacle, Worthy had a tough road to redemption. But helping LA win two championships over the Celtics more than made up for that, not to mention elevating him to superstar and legendary status in the NBA.